Time to Switch Lethal Injection Drugs

Hospira, the only US manufacturer of the sodium thiopental used in lethal injection in most death penalty states, has decided to discontinue manufacture altogether, AP reports. See also this report by Nathan Koppel at WSJ.

There is nothing special about this particular anesthetic, and Oklahoma has already switched to a more readily available one. Time for the other states to follow suit.

In some states, changing the protocol requires a lengthy administrative regulation procedure. Where the legislature can't be persuaded to change that, the procedure should begin immediately.